You've made your choice
by TheDragonflyInn
Summary: Rory encounters a woman at a café, and the woman has a thing or two she needs to get off her chest... Final chapter with Jess' decision out now!
1. Chapter 1

_This is a Oneshot that I wrote a while ago, but I think there'll be two chapters all in all to this story (I'll explain more about that at the end of the story!)_

_Read and enjoy and pretty please review!_

* * *

"Are you Rory Gilmore?" Rory looks up at the question, seeing a blonde woman standing next to her, impatiently tapping her foot as she waits for some sort of confirmation.

"Yeah…I–"

She's effectively cut off when the woman reaches out her hand and slaps her across the face.

Stunned, Rory lifts her hand to her cheek, staring at the woman in confusion. "Wha-What-What are you doing?" She asks, trying hard to remember if she has ever seen this woman before, but her mind comes up blank. She's stunningly beautiful – not the kind of person you'd ever forget meeting.

"What am _I_ doing?" The woman asks, scoffing. She laughs a bitter laugh and Rory wonders if the woman might actually be crazy. Either that or she has confused her with someone else.

The woman shakes her head and slumps down on a chair across the table from Rory. "You walked away" She says slowly, stressing every syllable as if they were all equally important, while fixating Rory's eyes with her. "You gave him up"

"Who?" Rory asks, confused.

She hasn't been dating for almost two years. Not since she turned down Logan's proposal. Not that she didn't want it or that she was too hurt, but the campaign had been taking up too much of her time.

The woman rolls her eyes. "_Who_?" She asks, her voice incredulous.

"I'm sorry" Rory says in a soft voice, trying not to further upset this woman who must obviously have lost it somehow. "You must have confused me with someone else"

"I don't think so" She sounds certain. "You are Rory Gilmore, right?"

She nods. "Yes, but–"

"I saw you" The woman states calmly.

Rory looks down at the table, a hint of who the conversation revolved around creeping into her mind.

"It isn't fair" The woman continues and something in her voice forces Rory to look up at her. Her eyes are glossy and red, unshed tears filling them to the verge of spilling over. "You gave him up" She repeated her previous statement.

"I know" Rory answers and feels her own eyes stinging from tears as well.

For several minutes the two women sit in silence, both trying to gain a hold of their emotions and prevent their tears from falling.

"You know Chris is gonna tell him you came looking for him" The woman suddenly says and meets Rory's eyes again.

Rory doesn't know how to answer to that, so she doesn't say anything and a loud sigh is heard from the woman. "When you walked out on him the last time I really let myself believe that this was all over"

Rory stirs, feeling more than a bit uneasy at the mentioning of her last visit to Philadelphia. "How…How long have you known him?"

"Since he came to Philadelphia" The woman smiles faintly at the memory. "We – eh – we we're neighbors before he moved in with the guys at Truncheon" She laughs shortly. "It was this really shitty run-down apartment complex, but it's was kind of cozy, you know?"

Rory nods. "That's a long time"

"Yeah" The woman's face hardens. "And _I_ never walked away, _I_ never gave up on him. I watched him pine for you. I watched you break his heart and I…" Her voice falters and she clears her throat before she continues. "…I couldn't understand how you didn't realize how fucking lucky you were"

She feels the tears she's been fighting to hold back finally spill over and make their way down her cheeks. "I didn't" Rory whispers.

"Is that why you're back?" The woman asks, her voice low and soft as her tears are spilling over as well. "Because he…" Her voice breaks and it takes several moments for her to regain control of her voice. "When you left he finally decided to move on, and he…he…" Her voice breaks again and she leans her face in her hands.

Biting her lower lip, Rory watches the woman, unsure of whether she should say something or whether she should wait for her to continue.

The thought of Jess having someone in his life had never crossed her mind. She hadn't thought that much about his life in Philadelphia at all. She had tried not to think about him at all. Somewhere deep inside she had known all along that she made the wrong decision by choosing to stay with Logan – but she hadn't wanted to investigate her feelings any closer.

It feels weird, knowing that there was someone else out there that also loved Jess. She wondered why this woman loved him, if it were for the same reasons she did. She wondered what they talked about, how she felt when he kissed her – how he felt when he kissed her.

"The first time we slept together…" The woman starts talking, interrupting Rory's train of thoughts. "…he told me beforehand that it couldn't lead to anything serious. He didn't say why, but I sensed there was someone else"

"When…When was that?" Rory asks, surprised at herself for asking the question, but somehow she felt like she had to know.

"About four years ago, he'd only been here for about two months and I thought I could do the whole 'friends with benefits' thing" She sighs and continues with a distinct sound of bitterness in her voice. "How many women in the history of mankind have fooled themselves into believing that?"

Rory nods, trying not to show the shock the woman's statement put her in. Four years. She had been with Jess for four years. Well, not really been with in the relationship kind of way – but still, she had been in his life – and in his bed – for four years. "When did…" She hesitates, not knowing how to formulate her question. "…when did your…relationship change?"

The woman shrugs her shoulders. "About three months after your visit at the open house"

Rory nods again, trying to wrap her mind around this new information. She had known there was a possibility that Jess had moved on – in fact, that had been a constant thought on her mind ever since she decided to go see him again. But not like this, she could never have imagined this.

"I was there that night at Truncheon" She continues and her statement makes Rory's head dart up and meet her eyes. "Do you have any idea how much it hurt seeing his face light up when you walked through the door?"

Rory's eyes yanks away from the woman's and focus on a spot of spilled coffee on the tabletop. She slowly shakes her head in response to the woman's question. She didn't have the slightest idea.

The woman sighs. "I left shortly thereafter. I just couldn't stay"

Rory's voice is filled with surprise over what the woman's words are hinting at. "Did he tell you about me?"

She nods and looks down at her hands that are resting on the table. "When he…when he came back from promoting his book he was really…moody and acted all weird so I asked him about it and I don't know why, 'cause he's really not the heart-to-heart kind of guy, but he told me. He told me about you and your history together"

Rory listens to her explanation in amazement. She couldn't picture Jess spilling his heart out to anyone.

"When he told me about how he kept going back, trying to make you understand that he had changed and that he really loved you my heart literally shattered to pieces…" She looks up at Rory again and her eyes are dry, but they're filled with uttermost pain and hurt. "Can you imagine how it feels hearing the man you love pour his heart out about another girl? To hear him tell you how much he loves her?" She sighs and lets her head drop down again. "…but I held it all back, because those moments when he opens up and talks, you know really _talks_, those are so rare that I didn't dare to do anything to make him creep back into his shell"

"You know" Rory starts, not really believing what she's actually about to admit. "He never really _talked_ to me that way"

The woman looks up at her, surprised. "No?"

"No" Rory shakes her head.

They fall back into silence and Rory can't help but feel disturbed over the fact that Jess had talked – no really _talked_ – to this woman, and how the woman had assumed that she and Jess had shared those moments of him really opening up and talking as well.

Maybe Jess really _had_ changed and she had been too afraid of getting hurt again that she missed it all. She had been too wrapped up in Logan and her own life that she hadn't taken enough time to really notice the change in him; a change that was more than a steady job and a published book.

"He proposed" The woman suddenly says, holding her hand up and showing a small, but very tasteful, engagement ring. "Two weeks ago"

Rory looks at the ring, completely lost for words. Her mouth feels dry and she reaches for her coffee and takes a big gulp, only to realize that it has gone cold. She forces the cold beverage down her throat.

"I…" Rory starts, but she doesn't know how to continue. She had come here because she wanted to tell Jess that she was finally ready for them to be together and now…she feels stupid and embarrassed. Of course he had moved on – she hadn't expected him to sit around and wait for her, had she?

She's ashamed to admit it, but that's exactly what she had thought. He always had.

She's startled out of her thoughts when the woman starts talking again, her voice muffled with tears. "But now you're back and…and I'm afraid he's gonna change his mind and take it back"

"I…I'm sorry" Rory offers, not quite sure she really means it, but she had wanted to say something to comfort the woman; she looks so vulnerable.

"Are you?" The woman's head darts up and her face looks hard as she examines Rory's face.

"Um…I…" Rory looks down at her hands and swallows, trying to get rid of the lump that seems to have settled in her throat.

"Do you love him?" The woman interrupts Rory's mumbling attempt at an answer with yet another question, her face still motionless and stern.

"I…I think I do" She all but whispers, looking down at the table.

The woman sighs. "I _know_ I do. I love every bit and piece that makes him who he is" Rory looks up at the woman with a sorry look on her face, only to be met with a pair of challenging green eyes. The woman has put her hurt and sadness aside; this is a woman fighting for her man. For her love. "I love the way he only genuinely smiles when he thinks that no one's watching. I love the way he smirks instead of really smiling when he know someone's watching"

Rory opens her mouth to tell her that she knows that about Jess as well. Even though she never really thought about it; she knows that about him as well.

But the woman continues before she has a chance to say anything. "I love how he always carries a book in his back pocket and how he within two seconds can get the book out and become so completely engulfed in it that he doesn't notice anything around him"

_I've noticed that as well – we have that in common!_ On the inside, Rory's screaming those words, but not a single one of them leaves her mouth. Without really wanting it, she's intrigued, she wants to know the reasons why this woman loves Jess. She wants to know if she loves him for the same reasons she do or if there's something more – or something less. Somehow she hopes that it's less – that there's at least one side of Jess that she loves that this woman doesn't. That way she wouldn't feel as terrible as she does right now.

"And I love how he, at times, uses that as a cover. How he hides behind his book, pretending to be engulfed in it, but really he's _watching_ the world around him" The woman smiles absent-mindedly before she continues with that same stern look as before on her face. "I love how he tries to hide his vulnerability behind that tough façade, behind his sarcasm and plain rudeness"

She sighs and closes her eyes for a few seconds and they're once again filled with tears when she opens them. "And I can't help but love him for how he didn't give up on his love for you. Even though you turned him down, even though you were with someone else – he didn't give up. He kept fighting until you stood face to face with him and told him you were in love with someone else"

Rory rips her eyes away and yet again looks down at the coffee stain on the table. Suddenly everything felt so hard. She had come to Philadelphia filled with hopes and dreams for the future – a future with Jess. Now, even if she got that future, it would be on the expense of someone else's happiness.

She looks up again when she hears the screeching sound of a chair being pushed over the floor. The woman has gotten up from her seat.

"I have to leave" She says and looks down at Rory, who simply nods in response. The woman starts walking away, but stops after only a few steps and turns around. "I'm sorry I slapped you"

"It's okay" Rory says, trying to make her voice sound reassuring. With that the woman nods, turns around and starts walking again, not hearing the words Rory whispers while staring, without really seeing, at the empty coffee mug on the table. "I would have too"

* * *

_A/N I wrote this Oneshot a while ago, but I never really finished it, because by the time I got to the end I didn't know whether I wanted Rory and Jess to actually be together. I kind of felt sorry for the woman that I never even gave a name. _

_But today when I read through it, the thought crossed my mind that I could publish this and then let you guys decide how I should finish it. _

_Do you want the pairing in the end to be Jess/Rory or Jess/Unnamed woman? Please let me know in a review or a PM!_

_I have a plot line for both scenarios, but I can't for the life of me make the decision!_


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm amazed at the response this story has gotten in such a short time! Thank you all for reviewing and/or liking this story! _

_So far the count of votes for Jess/Rory and Jess/the other woman is 3-3 and I thought I would let you get some insight into Jess' relationship with this other woman; who is from now on named Molly. _

_You already know all about Jess and Rory's history together and I do have a few scribbles written down, which I initially intended to use as some sort of flashbacks before I changed my mind. So, until Sunday I'll be posting at least one of these flashbacks a day and let you gain some insight into their history and relationship and then I'll make the decision on how to continue based on your answers in the reviews._

_The time frame in these flashbacks is always referring to the first chapter and they will appear in a no way chronological order. _

_Remember to leave a review telling me which girl you're rooting for – that way you have a chance of influencing the turnout of the story! (And I would love to know why you're hoping for one pairing more than the other; though it's a request not a demand)_

_(And yes, I will pay some attention to my other stories as well, just need to get this out of my system first!)_

* * *

**Two weeks earlier **

Quietly sobbing and with tears running down her cheeks, Molly climbs out of bed; slowly and softly as not to wake the sleeping figure beside her. For a few moments she stands next to the bed watching him sleep as silent sobs shakes her body.

He's lying halfway turned on his stomach with his arm stretched out across the empty space where she slept next to him only minutes ago. He's not wearing any underwear and the sheets are lying in a mess around his lower body.

He's so beautiful like this and a smile creeps through her tears and her sobbing at the knowledge that if she climbed back in bed and lied down next to him he would, without even waking up, pull her closer to him.

But then she remembers what woke her up and her smile disappears. She throws on a pair of panties and a t-shirt of his; both items of clothing still lying scattered on the floor since they ripped them off each other a few hours ago.

With one last look at his sleeping form in the bed she walks out of the bedroom, quietly closes the door behind her and sits down at the couch in the adjoining living room. Here, in the darkness and emptiness of the living room, she lets her tears fall freely and lets the sobbing rip through her body so powerful that it almost makes it hard to breath.

She draws her knees up to her chin and wraps her arms around herself, holding close. She didn't want this. Not tonight of all nights.

It's been a long time since the last time and she thought it was over. With everything that has happened tonight she had thought for sure that all her insecurities would be gone and that the nights of sobbing alone on the couch would be nothing but a distant memory.

She twirls the ring on her finger, the ring that should rid her of all insecurities. How could a small piece of jewelry ever manage to do that?

She hears the creaking of the bedroom door as it is being pushed open, but she doesn't turn to look. She hears his steps moving across the floor towards her and she wishes she could just disappear in the darkness of the room. She doesn't want him to see her like this. Not now. Not ever.

"Hey" He bends down next to her and strokes a strand of hair behind her ear. A frightened look crosses his face when he sees her tearstained face. "What is it?"

She shakes her head. "Nothing" She can't tell him. It's silly and ridiculous and he would most probably laugh at her. But that's not what she fears the most. What she fears the most is that he will tell her that it could be real; that it is what he's hoping for.

"I can see there's something bothering you." He sits down on the couch next to her and wraps his arms around her, trying to make his voice sound soothing, but she can hear the worries in it. "Tell me what it is."

"I can't." She shakes her head again, silent tears falling from her eyes. She can't stop them. She feels like she should tell him, she owes it to him after the way he opened up to her when he gave her that speech when he proposed.

He had told her about all of his insecurities and fears and she should be able to tell him about hers. But this one in particular – she sighs.

He tugs at her arms that are still wrapped around her legs and she lets go of the embrace and he pulls her into his lap and she lets him. She leans her head against his bare shoulder, afraid to meet his eyes and see something she doesn't want to see. "Is it something I did?" He whispers, his mouth close to her ear.

She fervently shakes her head. If it were possible for her heart to break anymore right now, it would at the thought of his first thought being that this was his fault.

"But it has something to do with us, right?" He continues in a soft voice, trying to find the source of her tears.

She nods slowly and feels her heart beating faster as she does so. That's all she's saying. She won't tell him the rest. It's just silly and it's better that he doesn't know.

"Is it something I didn't do?" He tries again, starting to sound impatient and she wishes he would just give it up.

She shakes her head again in response to his question.

He sighs. "What is it then?" He gently puts his hand on the side of her face and forces her to look up at him while he strokes her tears away with his thumb. "I hate seeing you sad like this. It breaks my heart."

Her entire body shakes when she forces herself to take a deep breath. "It's silly, really. I'm just being silly."

He tries to smile and kisses her cheek. "So tell me about the silliness."

She opens her mouth as to start talking, but closes it again without a word leaving her lips. He doesn't say anything, he simply watches her; lets her take the time she needs.

She looks into his eyes and seeing the care and tenderness in them she closes her eyes and takes another deep breath before she speaks. "I have this recurring dream."

His voice is deep and curious when he answers, urging to continue. "Like a nightmare?"

She nods and opens her eyes again to find him still looking at her, his head slightly tilted to the side. "Yeah, like a nightmare."

He wraps his arms tighter around her body, as if to protect her against the dream. "Tell me about it."

"I can't" She shakes her head.

He strokes her hair and kisses her forehead. "Come on, you might feel better talking about it"

She shakes her head again. Talking about it wouldn't make her dream go away. If anything it might get ideas into his head; wake something up that he had forgotten even existed. She can't do that.

"I…" She's almost surprised when she hears her own voice, starting to tell him about the dream. "I wake up by the doorbell…" She hurries her words, afraid that she might change her mind if she talks to slow. "…it's early in the morning and you're still asleep. I climb out of bed to answer the door and there's this beautiful woman standing on the other side of the door. Like really, really beautiful." Her voice breaks and she hides her face in her hands, she can't tell him the rest.

"Then what?" His hand has moved from stroking her hair to stroking her back. "The woman turns into a monster?"

"No" She looks up from behind her hands. This is it. Now or never. If she tells him the really scary part of her dreams, the part that makes her wake up in tears and hurt, it could change everything.

She hides her face against the crook of his neck as she continues. "She tells me her name is Rory and she thanks me…" Her voice breaks again and he doesn't say anything, she can feel his body stiffen at the mentioning of _her_ name but he simply keeps stroking her back and pulls her closer to him with his other arm.

She tries to breathe calmly and keep her voice from breaking as she continues in a hoarse voice. "…she thanks me for taking care of you…and keeping you warm at night, but tells me that I'm not needed anymore…that she's back to take her rightful place by your side" She takes a deep breath. "And it feels so real, it all makes such sense."

His voice is calm when he speaks and he cradles her head with his hand and pulls her closer into his body. "It isn't real and it doesn't make any sense."

They sit quiet for a long time; together in the darkness. Molly's sobbing dies out and eventually the tears stop falling but neither of them move, instead they just sit there, close together.


	3. Chapter 3

**3 years ago (The open house at Truncheon)**

For the third time in a ridiculously short amount of time Molly watched Jess stride in front of the mirror and adjust his clothing. What was she doing here? She had offered to help them prepare for the open house because she thought that seeing him get ready to meet _her_ would help her stupid, breaking heart to get the picture and give it all up.

But it didn't. Instead she felt as if something was clenching around her heart, pressuring on it and making each beat send shooting pains through her body. He tried to hide by joking around with his friends and with her; but she knew him too well and noticed all the small nervous traits that at times shone through.

Like this, right in front of her; him constantly checking his appearance in the mirror. That was one of them, probably the most obvious one. The other ones were harder to track down, but they were there nonetheless.

Like the way he seemed to be so light at heart when he joked with his friends as they set everything up downstairs; he was overcompensating. Jess never joked around like that if he wasn't nervous. His sense of humor was usually more dry and sarcastic. But when he was nervous he tended to overcompensate. Either that or turn to surliness. But today he was overcompensating.

Another clear giveaway was the way he kept checking his phone every ten minutes. That had been going on for days. She hadn't RSVP:ed. Not that this was that kind of event where you needed to RSVP, but I think he had counted on her doing so anyway.

"You…" She cleared her throat and gave it her best effort to sound casual and friendly. "You think she'll show up?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know" He tried to sound casual, but she knew he felt anything but. The way his hands tensed when he buttoned and then un-buttoned the top button of his shirt all while examining himself in the mirror gave him away.

She tried to smile as she stood up from her seat on the side of his bed and reached him the t-shirt he discarded in favor of the dress shirt earlier. "Here"

He ripped his eyes away from his reflection and looked at the piece of clothing in her hand.

She took a deep breath and forced her voice to sound normal when she explained. "If you want her to see that you've changed, you don't want to overdo it. Just be yourself" She smiled and tugged at his shirt. "This" She held the material of his dress shirt between her fingers. "Isn't you. This" She held the t-shirt up. "Is you"

He looked at her in silence and took the t-shirt from her hands but then turned to look at his reflection again. "Wear the jacket over it" She said and met his eyes in the mirror. "Don't try to be someone you're not"

His whole body relaxed with a deep sigh and he smirked at her reflection. "Thank you"

She shrugged and turned away so he wouldn't see the expression on her face. "It was nothing"

He reached out and grabbed her wrist and forced her to turn around to face him. "I mean it Molly. Thank you for being here for me. For being my friend"

She bit back on the tears that threatened to fall as he pulled her in for a hug. Friend. Yeah, that was all she was to him. A friend. A friend that he occasionally slept with.

Probably out of convenience, because he knew that she wouldn't pressure him into being anything more. Because she knew about Rory. Because she had told him that she was okay with them just being friends that occasionally shared a bed while he waited for the true love of his life to return to him. Because she had told him that she didn't want or expect anything else from him.

He pulled away from the embrace and she smiled at him. She didn't dare to say anything, afraid that her voice would crack and reveal all the things she felt for him right at that moment.

* * *

Absent-mindedly flipping through the pages of a thin paperback novel Molly watched as Jess and Matt descended the stairs, seemingly deep in discussion with one another. She smiled when she saw him, he really did look great tonight.

She waited for him to finish his conversation with Matt before putting the novel back in its stand. She was just about to open her mouth and call for his attention when she saw the look on his face. And she knew. _She_ was here.

She followed his gaze and her eyes landed on a brunette standing close to the door, smiling in his direction. So that was her. Molly tried not to stare, but her efforts weren't necessary as neither Rory nor Jess seemed to have eyes for anyone but each other.

She felt as if the world was crashing down around her. _She_ was here. This was the end of everything.

No more late nights snuggling next to his warm body on the couch, pretending that _she_ didn't exist and that they were just another other ordinary couple holding each other close at the end of a long day.

No more mornings of waking up next to him and lingering in the feeling of his naked skin next to hers before the reality of the situation dawned on her.

No more of those few, but oh so sacred, moments where he had leaned in and kissed her even though they weren't in bed, or on their way there.

No more. This was the end.

As the brunette stepped closer to Jess, Molly hasted towards the door. She couldn't watch. She thought it would do her good and snap her out of her romantic dreams if she saw them together – but she couldn't. That look on his face – no she couldn't stay. It hurt too much to see that look and know that it wasn't meant for her.

* * *

She had run out of tears. She felt empty and hollow, as if every feeling she ever felt had flowed out of her body together with the tears. Now there was nothing left – no feelings and no tears. She was empty.

She laid on the couch and stared out into the empty room. She should sleep, but every time she closed her eyes images of what he was doing right at this moment appeared before her eyes.

He was probably kissing her. He was probably kissing her with a lingering smile on his lips. A happy smile. The smile of someone who had finally found everything he was looking for in life.

How could this woman just step in out of nowhere and suddenly be the one? _She_ hadn't been there.

She had been there, next to him, during those long nights when he struggled through a case of writer's block. _She_ hadn't. She was the one that read and re-read certain parts of his novel that he was unsure about. _She_ wasn't. She was the one that had encouraged him not to give up when he felt like deleting every word he'd ever written. _She_ hadn't.

Still – _she_ was the one he thanked. _She_ was the one he said he couldn't have done it without.

She had been the one to take care of him and make chicken soup for him when he was down with that cold last winter. _She_ had been elsewhere. She was the one that all but carried him home when he had tried to drink his sorrows away. _She_ was looking out for someone else. She had been by his side whenever he needed her for the last four years, without him even needing to ask for it. _She_ had turned him down when he told her he needed her.

Still – _she _was the one he claimed he couldn't live without.

A knock on the door ripped Molly away from her thoughts and she slowly made her way to the door. The time had passed midnight and she made sure to look through the peephole before opening the door.

Her heart missed a beat when she saw him. His hair was a mess and his posture was broken. With hurried movements she unlocked the door and opened it.

He looked up at her and all those feelings she thought had left her body came flowing back, gathering into a knot in her stomach when she saw his reddened and sad eyes looking into hers.

"She's gone" He whispered, his voice hoarse and his face streaked with tears. She had never seen him like this before. So sad, so beaten, so vulnerable. It broke her heart and she wanted to go find this girl and beat the living hell out of her for doing this to him.

"I'm sorry" She said and to her surprise she found that she really meant it. She took a step back and without saying anything further she invited him into the apartment.

He nodded and entered. He slumped down at the side of her bed in her one bedroom apartment and rested his face in his hands. Molly hesitated for a moment, not knowing exactly what to do, how to handle the situation. Finally she sat down next to him and rubbed his shoulder. "It'll be okay" She whispered and he looked up at her, a blank expression on his face.

"She loves him" He said simply, stating the fact and her insides cringed at the irony of the situation.

She stroked his cheek tenderly. "It'll be okay" She repeated as if trying to convince the both of them. He didn't say anything.

"Come on" She ushered and pulled at the bedspread. "Lay down and try to sleep and tomorrow it'll feel better" She tried to comfort him, not really believing in the words coming out of her own mouth.

She knew that, being a good friend, she should probably try and get him to talk. To tell what happened. But after the emotional meltdown she'd gone through she didn't think she could handle it. Sleep seemed like the best alternative right now. No words. Just sleep.

He still didn't answer; he just looked at her curiously before following her instructions and lying down on his side facing the wall. She crept into bed next to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "It'll be okay" She repeated again before laying her head down on the pillow and letting the silent tears she'd been holding back since she saw him fall freely.


	4. Chapter 4

_I know I've been ignoring this fic for some time, but there was Christmas and life and stuff that always seemed to get in the way. _

_This chapter is the beginning of the end I guess you could say – there'll be a few flashbacks in here too and they'll be in italics just to make it easier to follow. Enjoy!_

* * *

Present time

Molly sighed as she started to pull at a key in her keychain, trying to get it loose. Her hands were shaking and the key seemed to get stuck on everything it possibly could get stuck on before she finally held it in her hand. She shut her fingers around it and a tear escaped her eyes as she remembered the moment the key had first appeared on her keychain.

_Molly looked at her keychain with confusion written all over her face. She held the chain up by the key that had suddenly appeared on it. "Jess, what is this?"_

_He looked up from the cutting-board and put the knife and the onion down on it. "That would appear to be a key" He explained with a smug smile._

_She rolled her eyes. Of course she knew it was a key. "But what's it doing on my keychain?"_

_"Isn't that where you usually keep your keys?" He wiped his hands on a towel and leaned against the counter, still smiling._

_She fumbled with the keys in her hand and looked down at them, afraid to jump at any conclusions. They had agreed to take things slow. "Yeah" She answered his rhetoric question._

_She could feel him watching her as she tried to fit the pieces together. _

_"Is there a problem?" He asked as he stepped closer to her, a lop-sided smile tugging at his lips._

_She looked up, a hesitant smile on her lips. "Where does this key go?"_

_"Huh" He took another step closer, wrapped one of his arms around her waist and took the keys in his free hand and examined the new key as if he never seen it before. "I don't know" He smirked and kissed her cheek. "But it looks an awful lot like the key to my apartment"_

_"Jess…" She started, but was interrupted when he kissed her again, on the lips this time._

_When he pulled back, he cupped her face in his hands. "I know we agreed to take things slow, but why can't we take things slow while living in the same apartment?" Molly was lost for words; it seemed so unlike Jess to initiate a step like this. "And sleeping in the same bed?" He continued with a mischievous grin as he wrapped both his arms around her and pulling her closer as he let the keys drop to the ground._

_She opened her mouth to say something, but he interrupted her again. "I like falling asleep next to you at night and waking up next to you in the morning. I want that – everyday"_

_She smiled and flung her hands around his neck and kissed him tenderly. "I want that too" She answered when their lips finally separated. _

Molly sighed and placed the key on top of a letter on the hallway side table. Things were different now. She knew Jess loved her and wouldn't want to break her heart – but she didn't want him to stay because he felt he had to. She knew there was a bond between him and Rory and it had been foolish of her to think that anything would ever be stronger than that bond.

_She_ was back. In the back of her mind Molly had always feared that _she_ would come back. It didn't matter how much Jess tried to convince her or tell her that he was over her – the insecurities had been building up over years of watching Jess pine for Rory and they stuck with her despite all.

She wiped the tears from her cheeks and took a deep breath before she lifted her suitcase of the floor and headed for the door.

"Molly" She was halfway down the stairs when she heard a female voice call her name.

She bit her lips together and turned around, relieved to see the neighbor next door leaning her head over the railing looking down at her.

"Oh, hi Mrs. Petersen" She forced herself to smile at her and pretend as if everything was okay. It was unnecessary to make her and Jess into the gossip of the neighborhood. Her, Jess and Rory, she corrected herself. She wondered if Rory would get along with Mrs. Petersen as well as she did. She wondered if Mrs. Petersen would still drop by with cookies when she 'made too many' even with her gone.

"Hi" She smiled as well. "I was wondering if maybe you could ask Jess to–" She stopped herself when she saw the suitcase by Molly's side. "Are you going somewhere?" she furrowed her eyebrows as she examined the suitcase.

"No, I–" Molly cleared her throat. "I'm just going to visit my sister for a couple of days"

"Oh, okay" Mrs. Peterson seemed to believe that story. And why wouldn't she really? She had no reason to suspect Molly was leaving for good.

Suddenly an overwhelming need to run up the stairs and hug Mrs. Petersen goodbye overcame her, but she repressed the need. "Jess will be home later, if you wanted to talk to him" She said instead, trying hard to keep her voice steady.

"It's no worries" She laughed. "It's just the computer is acting up again and Sam tried to look at it last night, but…" She shrugged her shoulders. "…you know, he isn't really the technical type of guy"

Molly smiled. "I'm sure he'll be able to help you" With that she waved goodbye and continued down the stairs and out of the building.

It had been a good couple of years; she should focus on that instead of mourning the loss of it.

And maybe…it was a dangerous thought, but she couldn't help it…maybe he would come after her. If he did…it would be because he wanted to be with her – not because she was a consolation prize or because he couldn't be with the woman he really loved. If he came…maybe she could finally feel sure and safe about his love.

With that thought in mind, Molly headed towards her car.


	5. Chapter 5

****_Sorry for the delay in updating - life's has been pretty messed up lately and I didn't really have any inspiration to sit down and write. But now, my inspiration seems to be back!_

* * *

**Present time**

Rory took a deep breath as she stood outside the apartment Jess' co-worker had directed her to. This was it. She had decided to at least give it a try. She had to. She would regret it for the rest of her life if she didn't at least tell Jess how she felt.

She couldn't not tell him how she felt and then spend the rest of her life wondering what could have been only because she wanted to spare someone else's feelings. That made no sense.

Rory stirred as the door flung open before her and Jess stormed out, almost knocking her over. She quickly gathered herself. "Hi"

He looked up at her, his eyes were bloodshed and his hair was a mess. He shook his head as he took her appearance in. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then seemed to change his mind as he closed it again with another shake of his head.

"I don't have time for this" He muttered and with that he hurried down the stairs.

Rory stood outside the open apartment door, perplexed. What was that all about?

She waited for several moments, but it didn't seem like he had any intention of coming back. With tentative steps she walked towards the open door.

"Hello?" She poked her head inside and waited for an answer. The apartment was quiet and she took another step and then another and suddenly she found herself standing in the hallway.

"Hello?" She asked again, but the apartment was quiet.

She looked around the place from where she was standing. So this was where Jess lived with his fiancé. It looked nice.

She glanced furtively out the door, it was still quiet and no sign of Jess, so she took another step inside the apartment.

A torn open envelope on a side-table with name Jess written on it caught her eye and after glancing around to make sure she was alone she picked it up.

She only wanted an explanation for his weird behavior, she told herself as she opened the envelope and pulled out a letter.

With shaking hands she unfolded the letter and started reading.

_Dear Jess,_

_The moment I've feared for so long is here. Rory's back and she wants to be with you. This isn't one of my nightmares. This is for real. I've talked to her and she confirmed it: she loves you and she wants to be with you._

_I won't make this hard on you, because I know you care about me and you don't want to hurt my feelings, so I'm taking myself out of the picture. I'm setting you free._

_I wish from the bottom of my heart that she will make you as happy as you deserve to be and that she will love you as much as you deserve to be loved._

_I wish I could end this by writing something sappy and romantic like 'you'll always have a special place in my heart' or 'I'll always cherish the time we spent together' but all those clichés sound wrong and worn-out, so I'm settling for simply telling you that I love you but I've always known I wasn't your number one. I don't blame you for anything._

_Molly_

"What are you doing?" A harsh voice ripped Rory away from her second re-reading of the letter and she looked up and met Jess' stern face looking at her from the doorway.

"I…I…" She stuttered as she raised her hand to wipe away the tears that she'd been completely unaware she'd been shedding while reading.

"Is it true?" He asked and nodded towards the letter.

Rory looked at the letter in her hands, unsure of how to respond. What did he want her to say? Did he want to be with her?

"Did you meet Molly?" He asked, still not moving from his place in the doorway.

"Yes" She nodded.

He let out a sigh. "Did you tell her you wanted me back? That you love me?"

Rory closed her eyes. "Yes" She whispered and nodded again.

Opening her eyes again, Rory saw Jess closing his and bending his head down. "Jess…" She started but was cut off as he opened his eyes and looked right at her.

"What gives you the right…" His voice was calm but at the same time angry. "…to come barging into my life and take away the one thing I can't stand to lose?"

"I'm sorry" She whispered and it cost her a great deal of effort to refrain herself from bursting into tears.

Jess shook his head again. "I don't have time for this" He went into the apartment and right passed her without giving her as much as a glance as he picked up the phone from the living room table and quickly dialed a number.

Not knowing whether she should stay or leave, Rory remained in the hallway, eavesdropping on Jess' conversation.

"Chris?" He paced the room as he spoke. "I need to borrow your car" He sighed and slumped down at the armrest of the couch. "When will he be back?" He ran his hand through his already messed up hair, looking more devastated than she'd ever seen him before. "Ok. Thanks anyway" With that he hung up and rested his face in his hands.

He sat like that for a long time, seemingly having forgotten about her presence. After hesitating for several moments, Rory cleared her throat and took a step towards the living room.

"You could borrow my car" She offered and held the keys out towards him.

He looked up, hesitated for about a second before he approached her and took the keys out of her hand. "Thank you"

* * *

_I'm thinking about ending the story here... Jess has made his choice and Rory has accepted it, sort of, by giving him the keys to her car so he can go get Molly back._

_Thank you to everyone that has read this story and a special thanks to all of you that reviewed and left your opinions about whether Jess should choose Rory or Molly, you all made great cases for your opinions and I literally think my opinion shifted with every review I read. _

_I don't know what the final count came to, but the votes were in Molly's favor when I started writing this chapter!_


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